Factory viscosity recommendation

[BBrowncods]

Toyota recommends 0W-20 or 5W-20 in the 2011 Tundra 5.7. In the owners manual there is a statement that a higher viscosity may be used under sever conditions. No specific recommendation is described.

My question is the 0W/5W-20 oil seams too thin for everyday use. Is Toyota only recommending them to meet gas mileage requirements?

Would a 5W-30 provide greater protection or would the thicker viscosity hamper "splash" lubrication inside the engine?

Thanks.

 

[JHZR2]

For "everyday" use, 20wt has been proven time and time again to be fine.

If I was going to exist over, say, 85F ambient, continuously, I might consider something heavier, but at that point an sae 30 would have similar cold start viscosity, so I might just swap to that...

But I don't see a need besides severe continuous temperatures or constant towing/hauling very highly loaded.

 

[Steve S]

Splash lubrication isn't a problem with the proper viscosity to temperature. The reason todays engines work well with the 20wt oils is the better cyl head design, machine work and more so the electronic controls of the timing as the knock sensor which can adjust the timing on each individual cylinder which minimises the pounding which a thicker oil helps with as well as the fuel injection. in the 80s taking the continuing education classes to keep up with the auto technology the We learned about the refresh [baud?] rate which was so slow you could almost take a bathroom break before the computer refreshed the sensor information . Today the refresh rate is pretty much instant

 

[electrolover]

its a CAFE thing. its all communist propaganda. they do it for .00001 more mpg.

but its better for cold starts so it will reduce new engine wear.i would run 5/20 until it started rattling in the morning or using a little bit of oil then bump it up to a 30.

my friend has the exact same plan with his honda civic but it still makes no noise and uses no oil at 200k. maybe it will need thicker oil at 300k

 

[BBrowncods]

Thanks. This is a big discussion over in the Tundra forums. A lot of domestic trucks call for the 5W-30 so there is a feeling of "if it is good for them it is good for us".

I just question a 380+ HP engine running on 0W-20! And not wondering if the bean counters are doing the engineering, and I will have a worn out engine at 100K, and wishing I had put in 5W-30.

 

[SrDriver]

Last 5 vehicles we have owned/own called/call for 5W20 and we have not had any oil related issues.

Gets hot here. We live a few miles from the Florida line and have long hot Summers.

Police department runs 5W20 in their Ford Police Cars and many have well over 100,000 miles on them with no issues caused by oil.

 

[HTSS_TR]

If your area is hotter than Death Valleys in summer then you should use heavier oil. Car manufactures tested their vehicles in Death Valleys during summer months, if xW20 passed the test there then almost nowhere else in America should worry about hot weather.

 

[electrolover]

thats not gonna happen. the only reason i run 5/30 in my f150 is because it has problems that have nothing to do with the oil. bad VCT engineering. a 5/30 keeps it from clattering in the morning. i need to get it fixed but with the miles i have its ridiculous to spend that much money on it. ill just wait til it needs rebuilt. hopefully at 300k+

but that being said you wont harm your engine running a 5/30 if it helps you sleep well. but i would wait until it was out of warranty

welcome to BITOG! i joined looking for the same answers you are....but i found alot more lol. beware its addictive

 

[oggb]

I'd use 5w-30 if you were towing or working the truck hard. 5w-20 otherwise.

 

[440Magnum]

Do what I did with my Ram 4.7 and 20 weight oil- stick a pressure gauge on it and see that its just fine in 105F ambient temps after a highway run with 0w20.

The manufacturers may be motivated by CAFE, but they're also motivated by a good reputation for longevity and NO UNNECESSARY WARRANTY REPLACEMENTS.

The engineers know what they're doing when it comes to recommending Xw20 oils for an application.

 

[BBrowncods]

Originally Posted By: electrolover

welcome to BITOG! i joined looking for the same answers you are....but i found alot more lol. beware its addictive


I have been an on-again off-again lurker since 1/2008. I know what you mean!

 

[bepperb]

If you're not going to benefit from a 20 weight (don't care about fuel economy, don't start the car under freezing) you might as well run a 30 weight.

Longevity of the engine wouldn't be affected assuming the oil temperature stays within spec. For some people, though, that might not be a safe assumption especially for a truck that tows often.

 

[Patman]

We've seen more than enough 0w20 and 5w20 oil analysis reports on here to know that those viscosities aren't too thin at all and are definitely not shortening the life of any engines. I would use them with confidence, even in the hottest weather and even when towing.

 

[steve20]

Originally Posted By: electrolover
thats not gonna happen. the only reason i run 5/30 in my f150 is because it has problems that have nothing to do with the oil. bad VCT engineering. a 5/30 keeps it from clattering in the morning. i need to get it fixed but with the miles i have its ridiculous to spend that much money on it. ill just wait til it needs rebuilt. hopefully at 300k+

but that being said you wont harm your engine running a 5/30 if it helps you sleep well. but i would wait until it was out of warranty

welcome to BITOG! i joined looking for the same answers you are....but i found alot more lol. beware its addictive


Didn't you just buy that rig about 6 months ago?